kscans

Chapter 32 - Sunscreen

A week after the commotion at the Maid Guild, Hayato spent the entire time in his room making coffins.

To be honest, it was not fun at all, but it was the Vampire Mist’s request, so he made them day after day as long as he had the materials.

But whether it was bad luck or something else, no matter how many he made, he could not manage to create a five-star one.

The probability of getting the highest quality was five percent. By simple calculation, he should have been able to make one after about twenty attempts, but he still had not succeeded.

(I don’t have any God Equipment for my Woodworking Skill. And the only reason to make the highest quality version is just for the sake of it, so you could say I’ve been slacking compared to my cooking. But I have so many other skills to prioritize, so it can’t be helped.)

The necessary material for making a coffin was wood, but at Mist’s request, he was using Magic Tree wood.

Magic Tree wood was a fairly rare material, a type of lumber that could occasionally be obtained by cutting down trees in lands inhabited by demons or in extremely cold regions. Even with a Logging Skill of 100, the probability was only about two percent, and buying it at auction was quite expensive.

Hayato had thought about furnishing the base with furniture made from this Magic Tree wood, but he could not use such a precious resource. He did not have the Logging Skill, and at this point, he could not afford to spend money on unnecessary things.

(Come to think of it, how does Mist-san have so many materials? Is there some efficient way to gather them?)

As Hayato pondered this, he held a saw and continued making the coffin.

An hour after he began, Esha entered Hayato’s room without knocking.

"Master, the inside of your room has a rather grisly feel to it, are you all right? A man with a saw in the middle of a room full of coffins. No matter what excuse you make, it looks like you’ll be arrested by the guards. I will, for the record, give favorable testimony if it comes to a trial, though."

"For the record? Anyway, so that’s what it looks like from an objective point of view. But I’m having a hard time making this coffin. Maybe I should just break them down and recycle them. If I turn them back into wood, I should be able to make about three more."

Some items created with production skills could be returned to their raw materials through various methods. Basically, it was possible by using the same tool used to create them. In other words, since the coffin was made with a saw, it could be turned back into wood with a saw.

Just as he was about to start, Hayato looked at Esha.

"By the way, did you need something? I already gave you your Chocolate Parfait for today, right?"

"I am delighted to receive breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a three o’clock snack. It would be perfect with a nap, so please consider it."

"I’d like to send you back to the Maid Guild along with that letter of appreciation. By the way, I can now select Savior as my title. Can’t anything be done about this?"

This game had a system called titles. You could obtain titles under various conditions and set them in your profile. However, the titles themselves had no effect and were merely one of the elements that decorated a profile. It was also possible to combine and set multiple titles, so there were players known as title collectors.

Hayato was now able to set the title of Savior because of the incident at the Maid Guild, but he did not want to. If it were a title like Craftsman, he would have set it, but for now, there was no such title.

"Isn’t it great? Not even the Hero has a title like that. I have the title of Useless Maid, you know? Compared to that, it’s still better."

"You have an incredibly fitting title. How about changing Goddess of Annihilation to Useless Maid of Annihilation... yeah, it was a joke, so could you put the gun away?"

"Master, you’ve been quite merciless with me lately. It makes me a little sad. You were so kind when we first met."

"You think so? From the moment I met Esha, I thought you were a hopeless case. And the more I get to know you, the lower my opinion of you gets. I think I can only trust your strength."

"Actually, I put all my points into strength, so I abandoned everything else. Like my conscience. Sacrifices are necessary to become strong. Well, let’s end the jokes and get to the main topic."

(That explanation was incredibly convincing, and not in a joking way.)

"Mist-sama is here. I believe it’s to check on the situation and replenish materials, but what should we do? Shall I shoot her?"

"Why is that an option... The coffin isn’t ready yet, but since she’s here, I’ll meet her. Or rather, have we kept her waiting? Let’s hurry."

Hayato and Esha left his room and moved to the dining hall.

In the dining hall, Mist was elegantly drinking a red liquid, tomato juice.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Not at all, I am the one who came so suddenly. Besides, to be able to drink the highest quality tomato juice while waiting makes the trip worthwhile on its own."

"The tomatoes were grown here, so I think they’re delicious."

"I believe they are delicious because I prepared them."

"Esha, go tend to the shop."

The tomato juice was, of course, made by Hayato. The tomatoes used as an ingredient were grown in the indoor garden within the base. Things that were often used as cooking ingredients were cultivated in that garden.

Hayato’s Cultivation skill was 100. Since cultivation was also a production skill, Hayato had naturally trained it. Raising this skill increased the yield and the amount of high-quality produce. It also increased the probability of occasionally harvesting something completely unrelated to what was being grown. It took about a week in real time to harvest, but Hayato always looked forward to it.

"Now then, Mist-san, I am sorry to have you come all this way, but the coffin is not ready yet. It seems it will take a little more time."

"That is not a problem. I received a four-star coffin as a sample, and it feels quite good. I can only imagine what effect a five-star one will have... I can’t wait for it to be finished, but there’s no rush, so please take your time."

"I will. But are you sure it was all right? You joined the clan before the five-star one was even finished."

Mist had already joined Hayato’s clan. The day after he gave her the four-star coffin as a sample, she had resigned from the Clan Management Committee.

"It is better to be early with these things. Besides, I need to confirm our combat coordination with Ash-san and the others."

Lately, Mist had been going to the hunting grounds with Ash and his group to fight alongside them. Hayato had not accompanied them due to his coffin-making, but from what Ash and the others had said, he heard their coordination had improved considerably.

"And so, today I have another request for you, Hayato-san."

"A request? What would that be?"

"I would like you to make some sunscreen."

"Sunscreen?"

"As a Vampire, I am weakened while the sun is out. I am strong at night, though. Using sunscreen can prevent the weakening to some extent, so I was hoping you could make some for me before the Clan War."

(It can be solved with sunscreen? What is the definition of a Vampire...)

Traditionally, a vampire would famously turn to ash upon being exposed to the sun. Pure-blooded monster vampires were the same, but those who became vampires through necromancy were only weakened by the sun. Hayato did not know this, but by using sunscreen, vampires could slightly mitigate that weakening.

And sunscreen existed as a normal item. When adventuring in deserts and such, not having sunscreen would cause a burn status abnormality, so its sales shot up whenever there was an in-game event in a desert area. Hayato had earned money that way before.

In-game sunscreen had a strong fantasy element, with ingredients different from its real-world counterpart. To make it, you needed extract from Scattering Grass, which disperses light, extract from Light-Absorbing Grass, which absorbs light, and water or oil as ingredients.

The base’s garden did not grow Scattering Grass or Light-Absorbing Grass, so he would have to either buy them or go gather them himself, Hayato thought.

"I understand. In that case, I will make some."

"Oh, I'm sorry to ask, especially when you’re already making the coffin. I am quite strong at night, but during the day, I’m only a little stronger than a normal person. We won’t necessarily be fighting at night in the Clan War, so I wanted to take as many precautions as possible."

"Ah, I see. Depending on the start time, the entire battle could take place during the day."

The start time for Clan Wars varied from clan to clan. Sometimes they fought from the crack of dawn, other times in the evening or at night. That was part of the battlefield’s gimmick, but now that they were in the upper ranks, they had to anticipate such situations.

(I've been so focused on making coffins I forgot about that. Now that our rank has gone up, I need to think about the battlefields too. There could be situations like heavy rain making fire magic unusable. If I don't anticipate various scenarios, it will be dangerous from now on. Not just strength, but also adaptability will be required, so I need to prepare a variety of things.)

With that in mind, Hayato decided to start making various preparations.

The next day, Hayato, Ash, and Ren went to Eldmull Forest.

They had come to gather Scattering Grass and Light-Absorbing Grass.

Yesterday, after parting with Mist, Hayato had immediately tried to buy Scattering Grass and Light-Absorbing Grass at the auction. However, neither was being sold. Looking at the sales history, it seemed someone had bought them all up, and there were none left.

They were not difficult to obtain, and there were no events in the desert area, so they had been sold at throwaway prices, but buying up all of them was an abnormal occurrence.

It could be considered a countermeasure against vampires, but Hayato wondered if someone would go that far. In any case, he had to gather the materials, so he had come with Ash and his sister to Eldmull Forest, where the grasses grew.

Eldmull Forest, located near the Royal Capital, was a place where weak monsters appeared, and game beginners often came here. Gathering medicinal herbs here and selling them to the Adventurer's Guild was considered the first way to make money.

Even in a place with such weak monsters, Hayato needed an escort. Even against the weakest monster, the Forest Rabbit, it would be a life-or-death struggle for Hayato.

Knowing this situation, Ash looked a little worried.

"We could have gathered the necessary grass on our own. It’s not dangerous here, but was there any need for you to come, Hayato?"

"Well, I thought it wouldn’t be bad to get out once in a while. And since I can’t seem to make that coffin, this is kind of a refresh for me. Besides, I told you, right? I have the ‘Herb Knowledge’ skill, so the amount and rarity of what I gather goes up."

The Herb Knowledge skill, like Dismantling Knowledge, was a skill that supported the Alchemy Skill. It did not assist in creating medicines but rather influenced the success rate when extracting essence from herbs. Of course, Hayato had Herb Knowledge at 100. But separately, it also had the effect of increasing the quality of what was gathered on the field and finding rare herbs.

Hayato had come to gather them himself, counting on the effects of that skill.

"They’re growing everywhere around here, so I don’t think the Herb Knowledge skill is necessary. Well, it’s not a bad thing to go together, though."

"It’s more fun to go together! Big brother and I will protect Hayato-san, so please gather as much as you can!"

"I’m counting on you both, Ash and Ren-chan."

Since there was no significant threat in the forest, the members of the mercenary group were not present. They were hunting in a different location. So, Ash and Ren were Hayato's only guards.

(Alright, then, let’s start gathering.)

Hayato surveyed the forest and began searching for places where the grass was likely to grow.

An hour passed, and Hayato’s item bag was overflowing with Scattering Grass and Light-Absorbing Grass.

With this much, he could make a large amount of sunscreen. Thinking this, Hayato looked toward Ash and his sister, intending to suggest they head back.

"I’ve gathered enough materials, so let’s head back soon. Is something wrong?"

When Hayato looked at Ash and Ren, they were both staring intently into the depths of the forest, not moving a muscle. During the time he had asked them to be his guards, they had hunted quite a few Forest Rabbits, but they were no enemy. They were monsters that could be defeated even while playing around.

But now, there was a sense of tension, or rather, they seemed extremely wary.

"A rare monster has spawned in the back. I think it’s a ‘Lucky Rabbit.’"

"Well, that’s a rare one. Isn't that a monster that takes a long time to respawn?"

When monsters are defeated, a certain amount of time is set before they reappear. For normal monsters, it is about five minutes, but some monsters do not reappear for several days. The Lucky Rabbit takes seventy-two hours, or three days, to respawn.

Such monsters drop rare items and materials when defeated, so the rule is to hunt them immediately upon finding them.

"Let’s get it!"

"Well, I suppose so. There don't seem to be any players nearby, so I don't think we'll have to fight over it. Let's defeat it quickly and..."

"Ah! Wait, wait! Let me have that one!"

Just as Hayato was about to say they should defeat it, a woman with short brown hair suddenly emerged from the bushes. Her active, slightly revealing white-based clothes were covered in leaves, leading Hayato to surmise that she had been hiding in the bushes until now.

"Sorry for appearing so suddenly! But I want to tame this little one! So please, let me have it!"

Tame. In other words, the skill to train a monster and make it a pet.

That in itself was not a problem, but thinking the woman who suddenly appeared might be a monster or something, Hayato checked her information. Since he had not heard her name from her, it was listed as "Unknown," but the word "Unknown" was yellow, not blue.

A yellow name was the mark of an NPC.

(It's fine, I guess, but an NPC is going to tame a monster?)

Hayato looked at the NPC who had appeared before him and thought such things.